CHICAGO (CNN) - Three sources close to the transition and in a position to know tell CNN that former Sen. Tom Daschle is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and the former Senate Majority Leader has indicated he wants the job.

Most significantly, Daschle negotiated that he will also serve as the White House health "czar" - or point person - so that he will report directly to the incoming President. The significance is this guarantees that by wearing two hats Daschle, and not White House staffers, will be writing the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress next year.

The sources said the precise timing of the announcement has not been worked out, but Daschle is likely to officially join the Obama transition team as the lead adviser on health issues in the next few weeks. An Obama transition official had no comment.

Daschle is billed as a "special public policy advisor" in the Washington office of the lobbying firm Alston Bird, though he is technically not a federally registered lobbyist. But his wife, Linda Daschle, is a registered lobbyist at the powerful firm Baker Donelson, which does have some health clients.

soundoff(237 Responses)

"The Clintons in the White House is not a pleasant memory for some of us."

Are you people completely deaf blind and on heroin?

If you compare the 8 years of Clinton and 8 years of Bush, how could you POSSIBLY say that Bush was better for us? Thats just insanity.

Im sure glad these kinds of people are no longer running things.

GO OBAMA YOU CAN DO IT!

November 19, 2008 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |

saveyourrhetoric

More change to Washington! Daschle doesn't have any idea how things work there does he? I'm glad this administration is all about change.

November 19, 2008 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |

Wanda in Montana

To the numbskulls who say this isn't change: The change we wanted was to change FROM Rethuglicans to:

NOT Rethugnicans!!!!

Daschle is a change from the past 8 years of corrupt inefficiency to people who actually care to make government work for we the people. Repugs keep proving that they can't govern, just get elected.

Get used to it Jeff and cohorts! Maybe you're part of the problem, not part of the solution. That's not very American or patriotic, now is it?

November 19, 2008 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |

Matt

REPUBLICANS NEED TO WAKE UP AND LEARN FROM THE LESSON THEY WERE JUST TAUGHT ON THE 4th. THE RANK PARTISANSHIP EVIDENT FROM THEM ON THIS PAGE IS GOING TO EARN THEIR POLITICAL PARTY A DARWIN AWARD.

November 19, 2008 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |

zenter

why not?

November 19, 2008 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

Jon, Conn

One thing we all have to grasp is that no aapointee can satisfy everybody. There is a wise saying that regardless of what you do, some people must have something to say. That;s the way of the world. The irony being that put in that shoe, these people whinning may no do even better. I respect Tom Daschel as well as I respect Joe Biden. Go Obama. I still believe in your vision for change.

November 19, 2008 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

Lizz

CNN, please don't publish info that is not confirmed....
This will cause speculations and undesire outrages of people who does not know what is actually going on.

November 19, 2008 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Pamela from Oceanside, CA

The change that Obama is trying to get is the change that he knows will have a direct possitive effect on the country NOW. He will be different then the Clinton group even though he is having a few of them over on his team. They will have different orders and we are in a different time. So far I think Obama has made good choices. Shows he is doing his homework. I think what we should really be conserned with is this Iraq and afganistand threat to americans. The sooner we as a people get out of the middle east and Israel the better we will be. Because we are viewed as playing favorits and as long as we are, everything we do over their will be for NOT.

November 19, 2008 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Alaskan Fame Junkie

Mark C November 19th, 2008 12:58 pm ET

OMG…it's started already. It's shaping up to be another Clinton Administration only with a guy named Obama running it. You think things are bad now…just you wait.

---------------------------------

Phew yeah...all the jobs and economic surplus and no war of the Clinton Administration...those certainly were bad times. I hope we NEVER get back there again. *rolls eyes*

November 19, 2008 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Emit R Detsaw

Couple things to address. Change isn't necessarilary the people in the positions, it's what they will get done in the Obama administration. So those that are screaming, where's the change, you will just have to wait until after January 20th.......

On the Health and Human Services post, I personally think Hillary would have been better so she could have worked her Health Care initiatives.

November 19, 2008 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

DANNIE

This guy wants to set up a "federal reserve" of health care?? the US GOVT needs to get out of about 75% of what it is in....and I thought Bush made some idiotic choices!! Of course Barack's choices so far plus Bush's just prove to me that BIG $$$ still calls the shots..The El presidente is just a puppet on a string!! We need REAL change,folks who have little to NO fed contacts..You Demos & GOPSers are just "kissing cousins"...with the same agenda..more FED control over all aspects of peoples lives..

November 19, 2008 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Debra

Get used to it. Every Politician will run on a platform of change. Thats what gets them elected. It sounds good especially when you have a party where the President is as unpopular as Bush. People tryed to warn you. Change as a platform is no more than a ploy to get votes.

But looking at the faces of blacks and how excited they were that Obama was elected has made his being elected worthwhile. We can only hope that he will make a good President. And "change" aside, that sometimes takes a new vision coupled with experienced hands to make it happen. Hopefully the people he is putting in place understand that they are working to put Obamas ideas forward and not their own agenda. I am sure that Obama has the ability to hold them all in line.

November 19, 2008 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Michael, Houston Texas

Wow you Obama haters sound like a nursery in a hospital whaaaaaaaaaa! Please shut up! BTW Trevor, Obama won, if even by one vote, he won so quit with all the knit picking. All you whiners, if you don't like it well....oh wait you can't do anything about it until 2012. And you are still going to lose then. I wonder if it's possible for President Obama to win all of the electoral votes in 2012?

November 19, 2008 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Ecor

Daschle? I wouldn't appoint him as a dog catcher.

November 19, 2008 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

FRANCES MS.

I'm afraid all you Obama fans, are in for more disappointment, this is only the beginning. The same old crowd will be running washington. They will be telling Obama what to do, because he does't have a clue. It will be interresting to see how you will vote the next 4 years. SUCKERS.

November 19, 2008 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Lorna, NY

Boy, you just can't please people. If he picked people not in government people would gripe. Now he is picking insiders who know how Washington is run, people are still griping. We are a country of IDIOTS! I trust his judgement!

November 19, 2008 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

joe public

A Clinton rethread is better than a Bush rethread.

Look at today's news where is the USA under Bush rule, credit crisis, housing crisis, war, record deficit, and no accountability.

Under Obama............ nothing yet. Al least he is sking out the smartest people for the cabinet and advisory panels.

November 19, 2008 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

SJC

To Trevor:

What's really scary is your rambling post and the like minded people you represent. Just throw the word "liberal" randomly around and you seem to think you've made some valid point.

There seem to be two points you're tyring to make here:
1. This is going to be a one-sided liberal administration. Uh, how did the most conservative administration in history work out these last eight years? I'll bet you didn't go around critisizing the one sided "conservative" government.
2. Obama only got 52% of the vote. Bush claimed a mandate in 2000 and didn't even win the popular vote. Why do I think you didn't quarrel about that?

November 19, 2008 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

Jon, Conn

One thing we all have to grasp is that no appointee can satisfy everybody. There is a wise saying that regardless of what you do, some people must have something to say. That;s the way of the world. The irony being that put in that shoe, these people whinning may not do even better. I respect Tom Daschel as well as I respect Joe Biden. Go Obama. I still believe in your vision for change.

November 19, 2008 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Debra

Get used to it. Every Politician will run on a platform of change. Thats what gets them elected. It sounds good especially when you have a party where the President is as unpopular as Bush. People tryed to warn you. Change as a platform is no more than a ploy to get votes.
But looking at the faces of blacks and how excited they were that Obama was elected has made his being elected worthwhile. We can only hope that he will make a good President. And "change" aside, that sometimes takes a new vision coupled with experienced hands to make it happen. Hopefully the people he is putting in place understand that they are working to put Obamas ideas forward and not their own agenda. I am sure that Obama has the ability to hold them all in line.

November 19, 2008 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Market watcher

Change, Ha! Like I said, if you repeat a lie often enough and loud enough people will acually believe you!

November 19, 2008 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Fred Diaz

If the idea of changing Washington was to clean house and also keeping away from lobbyiest I don't see why you would want someone around you with connections to lobbiest.

November 19, 2008 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Rick

Daschle-bipartisan?? Those who think this have very short memories and don't recall his highly partisan leadership in the Senate. Same old same old. Now I know who will really be running the country – Bill Clinton. Will Obama give him an office in the White House or will Bill just pull the strings from his cell phone?

November 19, 2008 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |

joe public

LOSERS .........STOP WHINING. YOU LOST. KEEP IT MOVIN...........

November 19, 2008 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |

jimmyp

Seriously, you'd recommend Bill Frist? Bill Frist who supported the ban on stem cell research? Bill Frist who supported congressional action against Terri Schiavo's family? Bill Frist who is a staunch pro-lifer, even if the mother's health is in danger? Bill Frist who supports torture? Bill Frist who believes in intelligent design? Bill Frist who lied to adopt and kill shelter cats for his college research.
Yeah, no thanks. I want someone that respects science and ethical medical research.